GEOPHIS MlCllOCEPHALUS. 201 



six-sided, entering the orbit at its upper anterior angle. Vertical six-sided, as long as broad, 

 with an obtuse anterior angle, and with a right one behind ; its superciliary edges are as long 

 as its anterior; occipitals twice as long as broad; superciliary small, postocular minute. 

 One elongate shield, pointed behind, and broader in front, enters the orbit, and replaces the 

 loreal and prseocular. Nasals minute; six* upper labials: the first is minute, the third and 

 fourth enter the orbit, the fifth is the largest. Temporal shields 1 + 2 + 3 ; sometimes the 

 upper of the second and third series are confluent and form one elongate shield, situated 

 along the side of the occipital. Mental shield very small ; seven lower labials : the first, 

 second, and third are very narrow, and nearly entirely suppressed by a single pair of very 

 large chin-shields, which are twice as long as broad. 



Scales in thirteen series; ventrals 148; subcaudals 26-30 in males, 17 in a female. 

 Maxillary teeth 22 ; palatine 11 ; pterygoid 27. 



Brown : back with three more or less distinct series of small dark spots ; a blackish band 

 with whitish edges runs along each side of the body, and is more distinct towards and on the 

 tail than anteriorly ; an oblique yellowish streak behind the angle of the mouth ; belly nearly 

 uniform broAvnish black, only the margins of the scutes remaining whitish. A variety is nearly 

 uniform brown, with black belly ; a few scales are whitish, the light spots forming a band on 

 each side of the tail. 



This species is found near Madras, and attains to a length of 1 7 inches. 



Figure A of Plate XVIII. represents this species of its natural size ; views of the lower 

 side of the head and of the dentigerous bones of the upper jaw have been added. 



Dumcril and Bibron describe a small snake from the Nilgherries under the name of 

 Platypteryx ferroteti (\ii. p. 501), which is e^'idently very similar to our species ; indeed, we 

 at first believed both to be the same, but on reconsideration it appeared too hazardous to 

 identify them. Bibron assigns as the chief character of the genus Platypteryx the excessive 

 breadth of the posterior portion of the pterygoid bone. This part is strong and concave 

 in G. microcephalus ; but although somewhat dilated, it must be much less so than in Platy- 

 pteryx. Secondly, the postfrontal and third upper labial of Platypteryx touch each other 

 before the eye, thereby excluding the loreal from the orbit. Finally, the belly oi Platypteryx 

 is whitish. 



At all events, Geophis microcephalus and Platypteryx perroteti cannot be referred to two 

 difierent genera; and if the latter genus be retained, its characters must be considerably 

 altered. 



* Five, as stated in my first description, if the last be not considered as a labial. 



2 D 



